starlight
by wendi bird
Summary: Many have told the story of the fabled Peter Pan and his adventures in Never Never Land; that wondrous, magical place where children could traipse and trek without a single worry in the world. Without fears - a world so carefree and wonderful no one would ever think to leave it. Except one. ; killian/emma. peter pan au.
1. it begins

**entitled;** starlight  
**summary; **_Many have told the story of the fabled Peter Pan and his adventures in Never Never Land; that wondrous, magical place where children could traipse and trek without a single worry in the world. Without fears - a world so carefree and wonderful no one would ever think to leave it. Except one._**  
****rating; **t (may change in later chapters)  
**disclaimer; **i don't own any of the characters from once upon a time, or the book/movie peter pan.  
**word count;** 2,273  
**notes; **and here it is~ the long-awaited first chapter for my peter pan au, _starlight_. there was so much editing done to this, and it's nowhere near as long as i'd originally intended the first chapter to be, but i don't want to load too much into things. i want this to flow perfectly because it is my baby and i want it to be the best writing i've done for all my cs shippers. it's unbeta'd so any mistakes are mine. feel free to point them out.  
**dedicated to;** tara. if you're reading this, you're wonderful, i love you and this is entirely for you~

* * *

**i. it begins**

**.**

_Many have told the story of the fabled Peter Pan and his adventures in Never Never Land - that wondrous, magical place where children could traipse and trek without a single worry in the world. Without fears - a world so carefree and wonderful no one would ever think to leave it._

_But reality is a far crueler thing, for as lovely as it was, Neverland was a dangerous place, and none ever had the courage to take leave with the intention of never returning._

_Except one._

_However, Fate has a way of making us do things we'd never imagined we would do._

_Such is the Fate of a one Emma Swan, who holds the very heart of Neverland in her hands, even after 17 years of memories long since erased._

**_._**

"Henry!"

The young boy jumped at the sound of his mother's voice, quickly putting all the little trinkets he'd been looking at back in the shoe box she did well to keep hidden. Once he'd gotten everything in the shoe box, he tried to stuff it back under the loose floorboard before she could see what he'd been doing.

Unfortunately for him, Emma was a lot quicker than he was, "Kid, how many times do I have to tell you not to go through my things?"

She gave an exasperated sigh, arms folding over her chest as she looked down at him, waiting for an explanation for this particular insistence with scavenging through her childhood things.

"There's something in there that I saw the last time," Henry explained, reaching for the box once more, finding it pointless to try putting it back now that he'd been discovered, "Something that might be able to help us with Operation Cobra."

Emma's brows rose. "Is that so?" She was walking towards him now, but he was focused on the items inside the box. "What could I possibly have in there that could help us?"

He kept silent for a good while, the sound of shuffling and metal on metal the only thing filling the room until he found what he was looking for. "Yes, I got it!"

She watched as Henry pulled out her tattered old hardcover of _Peter Pan_ and an old silver necklace that was tucked inside the front cover, successfully keeping it from falling completely shut.

"It was that hard to find possibly the only book in a whole mess of trinkets?" Emma teased, reaching for it.

"No, not the book. Though it might help jog your memories." Henry explained, keeping it from her and pulling the old necklace out. "I was actually talking about this."

When Emma reached for the necklace, Henry didn't pull away. Instead he let the thin chain slip from his fingers, dropping it into the palm of her hands. When the metal of the pendant his her hands, though, she nearly let it slip straight on to the floor; it was ice cold against her skin. Almost like it'd been locked in a freezer all this time and not stuffed in a shoe box.

While her initial instinct was to let it fall to the floor, something compelled her to wrap her fingers around the flat, circular pendant.

It wasn't anything particularly special; it was nothing but silver, perhaps a little bigger than a silver dollar with what was meant to be a skull and crossbones outlined by black paint. The only difference was in place of the crossbones, there were two swords. On the back, it was mostly silver, and engraved on the flat surface was what looked like a piece of a map.

Emma couldn't, for the life of her, remember where she got the trinket, but she vaguely remembered having a particularly unhealthy attachment to it when she was younger.

"I haven't seen this in ages." She mumbled, eyeing Henry warily. "But I don't see how this could help us with Operation Cobra. It's just an old pirate-" the strangest sensation pulsed throughout her entire body the moment the word left her lips, leaving her almost breathless, but she did her best to ignore it and continued speaking, "-necklace. Something I've had since I was a kid."

If Henry had noticed her slight choke up, he didn't mention it. "Do you remember how you got it?"

"It was a long time ago…" Emma mumbled, fingering the pendant's thin chain as she avoided his gaze.

"You don't remember because it was given to you in Neverland." Henry said, expression dead serious.

"Neverland?" Emma repeated, finding it difficult not to laugh, "So now Neverland's real, too."

"It's always been real." Henry responded, not seeming the slightest bit offended by the tone of her voice. "You've been there before, but you just can't remember. You see, a normal person's memories of Neverland leave them as they grow older, but a part of them always believes in it."

Emma's brows shot up, "And I'm not normal?"

"You were the first person to leave Neverland because you knew you needed to grow up. You were supposed to remember it all. I think you would have remembered it if my mom hadn't done the curse." He answered with a sigh.

"Are you trying to tell me I'm Wendy in your book?" Emma asked, a skeptical expression on her face.

"It's a really complicated story." he mused, reaching for her tattered copy of _Peter Pan _and handing it to her, "But I think that necklace might be really important for Operation Cobra."

"You keep saying that but you haven't told me how, or why." Emma pointed out, curling her fingers around the book and pulling it towards her.

Henry simply shrugged and uttered the words she'd been hearing a little too much since she'd arrived in Storybrooke, "You're not ready."

A small, disbelieving laugh left her lips, "Of course not." Book and necklace in hand, Emma pushed herself to her feet. "Alright, put that away. We're gonna be late getting you back to your mom and I don't need to give her any more reasons to hate me than she already does."

Frowning, Henry closed the shoebox and carefully put it away before letting Emma lead him out of the room. "You'll think about it, though, won't you? Read the book, too? To see if it helps?"

Guilt crept through her at the desperation she heard in his voice; the last thing she wanted to do was encourage the kid in this ridiculousness, but it was pretty damn hard when it seemed like she was one of the few people he trusted enough to talk to - his only other friends were Mary-Margaret and Archie.

Sighing softly, Emma gave him a light pat on the back and nodded, "I'll try and see if something stirs any memories." She told him, "Though, I have a question for you."

He beamed, "What is it?"

"How can I be Wendy if you said I'm the kid of Snow White and Prince Charming?" She asked, genuinely curious as to what his answer would be.

"I've read enough of the book to figure out that a lot of the stories kind of… Overlap." He told her, "Look at Ruby; along with being Little Red Riding Hood, I'm pretty sure she's Rose Red, Snow White's sister."

Emma's brows shot up at this, "You think Ruby and Mary-Margaret are sisters?"

"I'm about 80% sure." He replied, giving a small shrug, "There's still a few things I haven't quite figured out yet."

Emma laughed, "Alright kid, let's get you home."

**.**

Captain Killian "Hook" Jones was furious; by now, every member of his crew knew the telltale signs and did their best to stay out of his way, and avoid his wrath. Unfortunately for them, this was not one of the times avoidance would be of any help to them.

"Smee, have you anything?" he asked the shorter man, itching for any sign from Cora that might tell him he could get on with killing his crocodile; the twenty-eighth year was finally upon them but there had been no word from the witch yet and he was growing impatient.

"N-nothing yet, Cap'n." His first mate stuttered out, drawing an irritated sigh from the Captain.

"Very well then." He seethed, "Tell the men we're taking a little detour."

The shorter man's brows shot up and he stared at his Captain for a brief moment before nodding fervently. "Y-yes, Cap'n."

The portly man turned and quickly scampered off.

'_Three… Two… One._'

Smee appeared at his side again, red-faced and slightly out of breath, "Ah, w-where to, Cap'n?"

Hook opened his mouth, ready to tell the man they'd be heading in the direction he'd last known Cora's whereabouts to be when he felt it; a surge of energy ran through him. It was something so powerful that he stumbled upon turning to face Mr. Smee.

"Something wrong, Cap'n?" the man asked, brows furrowing.

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, which surprised him all on its own. The last time he'd felt the all too familiar tug of energy was when he'd been a boy - a time he'd done quite well to push into the farthest part of his mind.

"We'll be heading in the direction of a treasure, Mr. Smee." He finally answered, pushing past the stout man and making his way up to the main deck.

Normally, he'd trust his men to commandeer the ship, but he couldn't with this. He needed to lead her in the direction of that pulse of energy. The thing was, however, that he was certain it wasn't in this land, meaning using up the last of his ship's magic in getting there and coming back.

"C-cap'n..?" Smee uttered, trailing behind him and sounding more than a little breathless.

"We're in for a marvelous adventure Mr. Smee." Hook called back, a smirk slowly working its way onto his lips. "Get ready to set sail!"

Cheers erupted from the crew, reminding him that his men had been just as frustrated as he during these past twenty-eight years, and the possibility of a new adventure meant more to them than he could comprehend.

"Where to, Cap'n?" Called one of his men.

His brows furrowed the slightest bit as the strange, unknown name flashed across his mind as if by magic. Turning to face him, Hook grinned and uttered the single word as he steered his ship, "_Storybrooke_."

**.**

Emma had managed to get Henry back home before Regina could have any reason to want to rip her head off and she was now on her way back home. She'd said goodbye to Henry with some hesitation, knowing how he viewed Regina, even if it wasn't entirely accurate. Regina loved Henry, she could see that much, but knowing that Henry viewed her as this 'Evil Queen' had to mean that something was up, right? It was the only reason she'd actually stuck around.

The only reason she was currently roommate to Mary-Margaret instead of sleeping comfortably in her apartment back in Boston.

Parking the car right outside the apartment, Emma sighed and shut off the engine. She hadn't the slightest clue what it was she was doing here. She'd decided to stay because she wanted to make sure that Henry was getting his best chance here, but where did she get off thinking she could decide whether or not life with Regina Mills was his best chance?

"Damn it, Emma, you don't belong here…" She muttered, resting her forehead against the steering wheel.

She wasn't sure how long she was there, feeling sorry for herself when she turned her head to the side and saw her copy of _Peter Pan_ sitting in the passenger seat. Emma had to snort at the feeling of déjà vu that hit her upon seeing it sitting there, much like Henry's storybook had been on the night she'd almost driven into that wolf, that apparently had never been there.

Reaching over, she picked the book up and held it gingerly in her hands, growing incredibly nostalgic. Flipping it open, she pulled out the necklace and looked at it for a moment, almost as if she was trying to will herself to remember who it was that had given it to her before she undid the small clasp and put it on.

Once the pendant hit the smooth skin of her chest, Emma was pretty damn positive she felt that pulse again, only this time it was fainter. Closing the book, she pulled the keys out of the ignition and made her way out of her car, locking it up before heading up to Mary-Margaret's apartment.

It was bugging her a lot more than she was letting on, but she wanted to be as calm as possible just in case Mary-Margaret had gotten home while she was out. When she scoured the apartment and found it empty, however, Emma ran up to her room and allowed herself a mini freak out.

'_What the hell is going on?_' she thought to herself, fingers gripping the book in her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white.

In that moment, she barely had time to react as her window flew open, bringing about a large gust of wind that sent her hair flying across her face when she tried to turn and find out what it was that had opened the window. Her grip on the book tightened and she reached up with one hand to brush some of her hair out of her face, but all she managed to see was the silver curve of a hook in the moonlight before the world went black.

**[tbc.]**


	2. this ship is taking me far away

**entitled;** starlight  
**summary; **_Many have told the story of the fabled Peter Pan and his adventures in Never Never Land; that wondrous, magical place where children could traipse and trek without a single worry in the world. Without fears - a world so carefree and wonderful no one would ever think to leave it. Except one._**  
****rating; **t (may change in later chapters)  
**disclaimer; **i don't own any of the characters from once upon a time, or the book/movie peter pan.  
**word count;** chapter - 2,385 / total - 4,658  
**notes; **loooook chapter two. i have a feeling my chapters are going to be shorter than they normally are simply because i don't really have much free time because of my crazy work hours at the moment. once things get settled i might work towards longer chapters, but they're good for now. unbeta'd, so feel free to point out any mistakes so i can fix them when i can.

* * *

**ii. this ship is taking me far away**

**.**

She was in his arms before he really had time to think; he'd thrown a bit of sleeping powder in her direction, not expecting it to work so damn quickly.

Blasted pixies; leave it to them to make something so potent. He had no doubts that they'd planned on him using a large amount so his intended target would never wake again.

"Smee!" he called out the window, shifting her the slightest bit so he could toss her over his shoulder with ease.

The portly man scampered into the room, wringing his red hat in his hands. "Cap'n?"

"Make sure the crew is ready to set sail when I get back to my ship. I've a few things to take care of."

Not exactly the truth, but he wanted to take a look around the place; the energy that originally called to him was coming from the girl, but there was something about the space that felt familiar. The aura that lingered was one he was absolutely positive he'd felt before.

Still, he waited until Smee was out of sight before taking a turn about the room, eyeing the mostly empty space with curiosity; it was a strange land he'd come to, and while there was little to no trace of magic around, a familiar buzz of energy lingered underneath the surface.

"Such a strange, strange place…" He muttered to himself, turning on his heel and getting ready to leave when something slid down his back and hit the floor with a soft thud.

Growing tense, Hook spun around and glanced about the room with narrowed eyes before turning his gaze to the floor.

Brows furrowing and a hooked arm firmly holding the blonde resting on his shoulder in place, Hook bent down and lifted the old, tattered book from its spot on the ground.

At first sight, there was nothing particularly special about the hardcover. It was old and torn up, colors on the cover fading with its pages yellowed from age. Nothing special in the slightest.

Until Hook read the title.

_Peter Pan._

It nearly slipped from his fingers as he stared at it; he'd always known people knew of the boy named Peter Pan and his adventures in Neverland - the stories had always reached him somehow, with very little difficulty - but to have a whole book, perhaps even more than one, written about him?

Who would have done such a thing?

His fingers tightened around the hardcover for a moment before he stuffed the book into his coat pocket and made his way out the window. Climbing down with the woman was much harder than climbing alone, but he'd managed without too much trouble. Once he was sure she hadn't awoken on their way down, he made his way to the docks, where the Roger sat, bathing under the silver rays of the moonlight.

**.**

Emma woke up with one of the worst headaches she'd had in years - and she'd had her fair share of horrific hangovers, so that was definitely saying something. The movement of whatever the hell bed it was she was sleeping on didn't help her in the slightest.

Her brows furrowed as she focused on what was happening around her without opening her eyes; swaying? Did she get that right? Or was she honestly hungover at the moment?

Eyelids fluttering, Emma yawned, stretching on the bed she was laying on and came to the quick realization that the bed was indeed _swaying_.

Her eyes flew open and she jerked up in bed, almost falling off of it in the process. "Where the hell am I?" She mumbled mostly to herself. The only thing she recognized was her copy of _Peter Pan_ sitting on a desk on the opposite side of the room.

A room, now that she thought about it, that reminded her much of the Captain's room in the _Pirates of the Carribean_ movie.

_Was she on a ship_?

Pushing herself from her the bed, Emma ran her hands through her blonde locks and glanced around the room. She almost stumbled a bit as the floor swayed beneath her, but she got used to the movement quickly enough. Once she was sure she wouldn't trip over her own feet when she moved, Emma walked over to the desk and lifted her book off the desk. It was the only thing that felt familiar right now, that felt safe.

"Ah, you're up."

Emma spun on her heel, eyes gluing themselves to the man coming through the door and causing her to stumble a bit. "Who are you?"

His brows shot up a bit at her question, his eyes lingering on the book in her hands for a minute before meeting her gaze. "Killian Jones. Though most people know me by my more colorful moniker; _Hook_."

Emma's gaze fell to his hands, the familiar gleam of a hook where his hand should be reminding her of the fact that he had pretty much kidnapped her. Add on the fact that he had a hook for a hand and was claiming to be Captain Hook.

She could have laughed, but the hook for a hand kind of kept her from doing so.

Instead, she cleared her throat, tightened her hold on the book in her hands and asked, "What do you want with me?"

"You've got something I need, darling." He explained, taking a few steps towards her and Emma had to will herself to stand in place; the last thing she needed was to give this psycho the satisfaction of knowing that she was more than scared shitless.

"What's that?" She gritted out, her teeth clenched as he came to a stop less than a foot away from her.

He looked her up and down for a moment, before he settled on meeting her gaze, a small smirk on his lips, "That's something I've yet to figure out."

"Do you not know the meaning of personal space?" She bit out, growing quickly impatient with the man in front of her.

A small chuckle left his lips and he took a step back - something Emma was secretly grateful for because while she had her mind set on the fact that he was certifiably insane, she could not deny that he was a very attractive psycho.

"What's you're name, lass?" he asked, his gaze falling to the book in her hands again, reminding her that she was still holding onto it like a lifeline.

She hesitated a bit in her answer, not entirely sure she wanted to give the crazy man her name, but after a few minutes of awkward silence, she answered. "Emma. Emma Swan."

His reaction wasn't one she was expecting from him; his pretty blue eyes widened to the point that he looked almost frightened at the sight of her and he stumbled a bit in his attempt to back away from her. "E-Emma?"

**.**

The confusion that flitted across her features at his reaction should have been enough to snap him out of his little moment, but it was like her name brought on an onslaught of memories that should have been locked away.

And what was worse was that she didn't remember him.

Without really realizing what he was doing, he was walking towards her and wrapping his fingers around her wrist.

"What the h-"

"Tell me you're lying to me." He hissed, anger taking over in an attempt to avoid sounding desperate. "Tell me that's not your name."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She shouted, trying to pull herself free, "First you kidnap me from my own home, claim to be fucking Captain Hook like some psycho and now you're telling me I better not be who I say I am? What the _fuck_? What the _hell_ do you want with me?"

_She didn't remember him_.

That hurt far more than he'd ever imagined it would. Then again, he'd never really expected to see her again in the first place.

"I want my treasure." He seethed, fingers tightening around her wrist. "And I want you gone."

That was a lie. Perhaps one of the biggest he'd ever told, but what good would it be to try to remind her who he was? Or what she was to him? He was no longer the boy she'd known, much like she was no longer the girl he remembered. There was a hardness about her, a wall, damn near impenetrable.

She was not his Emma. Not anymore.

"Then _let me go_." She hissed, trying to yank her hand free from his hold once more.

"Not until you give me what I want." He reminded her, blue eyes darkening.

"I don't know what the hell it is you want!" She shouted, seeming to grow more and more irritated with him.

"Let me get one thing clear here, love," He started, his voice just barely above a whisper as he leaned in, looking her in the eyes, "You're not going anywhere until I get what I want."

She was silent for a moment, glaring up at him, and then she bit out, "To hell with that."

He felt a sharp pain in his groin then, only just realizing that she'd kneed him rather hard. His grip on her loosened just enough for her to worm her way free and run out of his quarters. Hook wasn't worried, she had nowhere to run. His ship wasn't on any sea she would be able to navigate, and his crew would no doubt catch her before she killed herself trying to escape.

Still, he ignored the pain and stormed after her.

He'd be damned if he let her get the better of him; he wasn't silly little Peter anymore. He was Hook, and no one bested him and lived to speak of it.

**.**

She had no fucking idea where she was going.

Not that she really expected to, in all honesty, but the man was fucking insane and she had to get away. She was pretty sure they couldn't have gotten that far, and she would damn well swim back to Storybrooke if she had to. It was better than staying on this ship with a fucking nut thinking he was a fairy tale character come to life.

She could have almost laughed at the irony of it all.

But then she was making her way up to the main deck and she found herself suddenly surrounded by a terrifyingly large group of men dressed like pirates.

God, how was it she managed to get kidnapped by the fucking bat shit crazies?

"You're not going anywhere, love."

She would have groaned under any other circumstances; the guy was just too much like the men she'd known in the past and the mere sound of his voice grated on her nerves.

But he was dangerous. Not just probably-a-serial-killer-who-kidnapped-her dangerous, but mentally-unstable-insane-out-of-his-ass dangerous. Emma did not want to see the outcome of that fight if she pissed him off too badly. Which, now that she thought about it, made the kneeing him in the balls part look like a really bad idea.

Glancing around and the dangerous men - she was so not calling them _pirates_, ship be damned - Emma decided she preferred a stare down with the crazy captain over the rest of them, so she slowly turned on her heel to face him.

In his hand was her book.

"You dropped this." He told her casually, flipping the cover open with his hook. The action alone made her grow tense, though she didn't quite understand why. It was an old book. Something that hadn't meant a single thing since she was younger and desperate for some kind of escape.

The sight of him holding it, though, possibly wrecking it, just made her want to take it from his hands and keep it as far away from him as possible.

"I must say, this is a lovely little tale. I read a good bit of it while you were sleeping." He murmured, eyes trained on the pages as he flipped through them. "So very accurate for the most part. There are, of course, a few exceptions."

Emma wasn't sure why, but she felt compelled to ask, "Like what?"

He slammed the book shut and turned his dark gaze back to her. "All in due time, love. For the moment, I've got to figure out how I'm going to get what I need from you."

Terror ran like ice through her veins, but she stood tall, refusing to cower underneath his gaze.

"I really didn't want to deal with having to make you remember, but it seems you've given me no other choice." He gave an exaggerated sigh, and it was all Emma could do not to question him about it. Remember what? What the hell was he going on about?

Almost as if he read her mind, he gave a wry grin and opened his arms wide, "I do hope you weren't planning on trying to make your way off of this ship any time soon, Emma. Because this course is anything but friendly."

Blonde brows furrowing, Emma finally decided to glance around, hoping to catch sight of Storybrooke or something close by that would give her a single clue as to how far they'd gotten. But she didn't. She didn't see a single thing because they were nowhere near any water. She ran towards the edge of the ship, leaning over the rail to see what exactly they were floating on but all she saw was the dark blue of the sky and the stars burning brightly around them. They were flying. The fucking ship was _flying_.

"Wonderful things, pixies. They can use their dust for just about any kind of magic. They've got a hell of a temper, though, so I wouldn't recommend trying to bargain with them when we get there." His voice was right beside her, and she could almost feel him where he was, but she couldn't wrap her mind around what she was seeing. Not until his words sunk in.

Jerking her head in his direction, Emma met his blue eyes with wide green ones, "There? Where's _there_?"

A slow grin worked its way onto his lips, "Why, Neverland, of course."

Well, _fuck_.

**[tbc.]**


	3. destination: neverland

**entitled;** starlight  
**summary; **_Many have told the story of the fabled Peter Pan and his adventures in Never Never Land; that wondrous, magical place where children could traipse and trek without a single worry in the world. Without fears - a world so carefree and wonderful no one would ever think to leave it. Except one._**  
****rating; **t (may change in later chapters)  
**disclaimer; **i don't own any of the characters from once upon a time, or the book/movie peter pan.  
**word count;** chapter - 2,669 / total - 7,327  
**notes; **omfg another chapter in less than a week! it's a fucking miracle. for those of you who follow most of my fics, it's safe to say i'm horrible at updates, but these just keep on coming. it probably has to do with the fact that this week my hours at work have been a bit less crazy than last week's, and i really wanted to get this one out. now, i've work saturday and sunday, so i don't know if there'll be another quick update anytime soon, but i hope you enjoy. as always, unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are mine. feel free to point them out.

* * *

**iii. destination: neverland**

**.**

"Tell me you're joking." Emma breathed out, eyes wide as she looked up at the man standing beside her.

All logic had sort of flown out the window at the moment; she was seeing it - the ship, _flying_. The stars and night sky around them.

She might have gone so far as to call it beautiful and breathtaking if she wasn't having such a difficult time grasping the fact that it was actually happening. She was on a ship. A flying ship. With pirates. And _the_ Captain Hook.

Where was Henry and his storybook when she needed him?

'_No. __**No**__. Pirates and fairy tale characters are __**not**__ real, Emma._' She thought to herself, desperately trying to cling to reality - _her_ reality - but the whole flying ship wasn't exactly helping much.

"I have no reason to _joke_ about our destination." Came Hook's voice, bringing her thoughts to a momentary halt. "Come morning we'll be in Neverland."

There was the small moment of recognition before Emma gave what sounded like a hysterical giggle as she mumbled, "Second to the right, and straight on 'til morning."

"That's right."

Emma looked up at Hook just in time to catch the small flicker of hope that flitted across his features. It confused her, and she found herself growing incredibly uncomfortable being so near to this man. "Why did you kidnap me?"

It was a stupid question; one he'd also already answered, but the whole 'treasure' crap was far too vague for her liking. She didn't want to be here, on a stupid ship with a bunch of crazy - and potentially deadly - men on their way to a place she'd only believed to exist in a book. She wanted to be at home, with Henry worrying about him and dealing with Regina, and Operation Cobra.

_Operation Cobra_.

Emma wanted to laugh and cry at the same time; because if this was real, if she was honestly standing in front of the actual Captain Hook on the Jolly Roger then it meant Henry was right. And if Henry was right, Emma had been calling him crazy for absolutely no reason at all and she hated that.

If Henry was right, she was in for so much more than she bargained for.

"You're the key."

Emma blinked, not quite seeing Hook even as he stood less than a foot in front of her. "Excuse me?"

"You asked me why I kidnapped you." He told her, folding his arms over his chest. "My answer was, _you are the key_."

"Key to what?" She asked, brows furrowed.

"To my revenge."

Emma didn't like the way his expression darkened at the word. She liked it even less that she was the key to him getting that revenge. "How the hell do you figure?"

"You have something I need to locate a great treasure. A great power that can be used to destroy the Dark One." He explained, seeming a little too nonchalant in regards to killing someone for Emma's taste.

"You keep on saying I have something." Emma shot him an irritated look, choosing to focus on that over the fact that he had every intention of killing someone soon. "What _is_ this something? How can you not know what it is you're looking for?"

He hesitated for a moment, seeming for a good moment like he was actually going to explain what it was he was after, but as quickly as that happened, it stopped. "It's none of your concern."

"To hell it isn't." Emma hissed, fingers curling in as her hands clenched into fists. "You kidnapped me from my home because of this thing. I have every right to know."

His blue eyes flashed dangerously and before she knew it, he was tilting her chin up with the curve of his hook. "You need only know what I want you to know. All else in due time. Do you understand me?"

She would have landed a good punch right in his face if they weren't currently being watched by a crew of, no doubt, bloodthirsty pirates.

Ha. _Pirates_.

So, she was still slightly hysterical.

"Understood. _Captain_." The word was acidic, her green eyes narrowed into slits as she glared up at him.

The smirk that curled onto his lips wasn't really helping his case. She wanted to smack it right off his pretty face. "There's a good lass."

Hands clenching and unclenching, Emma waited until he removed his hook from under her chin before taking a step back and folding her arms over her chest.

"Now, I think it's time for us to work on this little memory problem of yours, love." He quipped, slowly circling her. She knew it was something done to intimidate her, to keep her from doing anything he wouldn't stand for, but it was unsettling.

"What memory problem?" She asked through gritted teeth; for the moment, her mind drifted back to Henry's words about her and Neverland. About how she would have remembered if the Evil Queen hadn't done the curse. '_No way…_'

"Tell me, _Miss Swan_, what do you remember about your childhood?"

Emma automatically tensed at the question; she rarely thought about her time as a child. She'd spent most of that time sad and alone, wanting nothing more than for someone - anyone - to want her. A mother, a father, a sibling, a _friend_. Anyone.

And she got no one.

"Nothing of importance." She bit out, fingers digging into the palm of her hands.

"You're a horrible liar, Emma." His tone was playful, and while he was currently walking behind her, Emma could practically hear the smirk on his lips. "You were orphaned, were you not?"

She bit down on her lip, half of her hating that he knew that, the other half wondering how it was that he knew that. "That's none of your damn business."

"Tsk, tsk, lass," He sighed, coming into sight again, "You not remembering me is really starting to hurt quite a bit."

"I don't _know_ you." She objected, feeling the overwhelming need to stop her foot on the floor like a child, but she resisted.

"Oh, but you do." He corrected, "Or well, you _did_."

"I've never met a Killian Jones in my entire life." Emma spat, taking a step towards him in her frustration.

He came to a stop in front of her this time, fingers fiddling with the tip of his hook. "I didn't go by Killian Jones when you met me."

"Then what did you go by?" She breathed, growing suddenly intrigued.

"Ah, ah," He wagged a finger back and forth, "You need to remember on your own."

Scowling, Emma dropped her gaze to the floor. This was not how this was supposed to go; she wasn't supposed to know who he was, or believe that she knew him for that matter. He was insane. She was not on a pirate ship surrounded by pirates. She was dreaming - that was it. She had to be dreaming.

She let her eyes fall shut, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling.

That was most definitely it; she was simply dreaming.

But then the a flash of blonde flickered behind her shut eyelids and the sound of some very musical laughter echoed in her mind.

Emma's eyes flew open and she looked back at Hook, not really paying much attention to the fact that he'd gotten a great deal closer in such a short amount of time. "I-"

"You what, Emma?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as he disappeared from her sight again.

It was strange, suddenly her name on his lips felt far more familiar than it previously did. "I remember…"

"What?" He whispered into her ear, sending shivers up her spine, "What do you remember, Emma?"

Her brows furrowed in concentration, as she delved deep into whatever memories of her childhood she hadn't repressed completely. "I remember… a boy. A blonde, blue-eyed _lost _little boy." She tilted her head to the side, "He listened to the stories I told the other foster kids and said he could teach me how to _fly_." A small laugh left her lips as she momentarily forgot the situation she was in. "He said all I had to do was think… Think of-"

"Think of things, Emma. Things that make you happy. Memories. Dreams. Wishes." He whispered into her ear again, bringing about an onslaught of memories that had been locked in the farthest depths of her mind.

Inhaling sharply as realization struck, Emma spun to face the pirate standing behind her, eyes wide and her heart breaking.

"_Peter_?"

"Now we're getting somewhere." The smile he gave her was a bitter one, but she swore she could see a sense of relief flow through him upon her recognition.

"Peter Pan." She repeated, her voice cracking a bit. "_I remember you_."

She could see the struggle he was having; he seemed to be pleased by the fact that she remembered him, but it also looked like a part of him was hurting at having her remember.

"I haven't gone by Peter in a long time now, Emma." He told her lifting his hook up as if to remind her what he went by now.

And remind her he did.

"Wha-What _happened_?" She asked, her heart breaking once more at the sight of him. It was like she was looking at him for the first time.

Her memory of everything was still pretty fuzzy, but enough of it was clear in her head to make the sight of him as he was… it just _hurt_.

"I grew up, Emma." He stated simply, as if it explained everything. His eyes, though, they told her enough. "That's the thing about killing someone - it makes it impossible for you to keep the mindset of a child once you do it."

"But killing Hook is one thing… _Becoming_ him is an entirely different thing." Her gaze fell to his hook once more, her stomach clenching uncomfortably at the sight of it.

Hook opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out, Smee came over looking out of breath as he always did, "Cap'n! We're just about there."

"Right." He sighed, waving the man off before turning his attention back to Emma, "That's a conversation for another time. You'll want to brace yourself for this, love."

Emma's brows furrowed, "Brace myself? For wha-"

The ship shook violently then, cutting her off and making her stumble right into Hook, who wrapped an arm around her without an ounce of hesitation.

**.**

She tensed in his hold, but that was to be expected; her memory of him wasn't going to change the fact that he was now the man she'd - _they_'d - once loathed with a passion.

"I said brace yourself, love, next time you might want to listen to me." He muttered, carefully leading her towards the steps that led to his cabin and making her sit there. "Stay here until I say you can get up, or you'll end up somewhere we'll never be able to find you."

He didn't wait to see if she would listen to him or not; he had to make sure things would run smoothly as they entered the star, or his ship would end up as nothing more than scraps of wood. "Jukes! How is she fairing?"

"Right 'n' well, Cap'n." Came the pirate's answer, calming Hook just a bit; the trip back to Neverland was always a tricky one if they didn't have enough magic, and with one person onboard not quite believing in the magic, well, it made it that much more difficult.

"What's going on?"

Hook mentally cursed for believing Emma would actually stay put. "I thought I told you to stay over there."

He glanced back at her, catching the way she quirked a brow upwards and folded her arms over her chest; it was like he was being thrown back into the past with her looking at him like that.

"Did you honestly expect me to listen to you?" She asked, and he was torn between laughing and scowling.

She was getting comfortable with him far quicker than he'd imagined she would. She was Emma. His Emma, his swanling. She'd never taken anything from anyone and that wasn't about to start now. But he was no longer Peter. He was Hook, and he didn't make her remember to pick up where things left off between them. No, he made her remember because he needed the damn map from her.

"If you fall off this ship while we're making way through the star, you'll never make it out. You'll be trapped there forever." He explained through gritted teeth, "Now get back over there until I decide it's safe for you to come out."

"I want an explanation, Peter."

The use of that name was grating on his nerves; every time he heard it leave her lips he saw red.

"Stop calling me that." He hissed, stomping towards her and wrapping his finger around her arm. "I am not that stupid boy you knew as a child. Peter is _dead_. Hook is not. You will do as I say or your stay here will be far more miserable than necessary, do you understand me?"

She hesitated, but Hook saw it, the fear that flashed through her eyes. She was reluctant, but she was also smart. The person who wanted to preserve the memory of their time together was determined, but she knew that making things difficult was not the way to go.

"I do." She finally answered, body tense and expression guarded.

He was about to send her back when the ship gave another violent shake.

"Reaching the end of the line now, Cap'n!" Came Jukes' voice.

"Damn." Hook cursed, feeling the ship shake all the more violently. "No time. Come now, Emma."

He ran towards the mast, leaning against it and pulling her to him just as they were enveloped in a sheet of ice cold air. The pressure so strong it made it damn near impossible to breathe.

"Pe-"

Ignoring the fact that she was going to call him Peter again, Hook held her tighter and nodded, "I know, Emma, I know. Breathe slowly, it'll pass."

She said nothing, but pressed up against him even more, no doubt trying to leech off of his body heat - she was trembling.

Quick as it was, their entrance to Neverland didn't come quite soon enough; by the time it was over, Emma was gasping for air and clinging to him like her life depended on it, which, in all honesty, it probably did.

"Emma…" He breathed out, looking down at her.

She didn't react immediately, and for a second he swore his heart skipped a beat at the possibility of it having been too much for her, but a second later, she loosened her grip on him and opened her eyes.

"What… The _hell_ was that?" She gasped out.

A small smirk worked its way onto his lips. "We're traveling through a star on a giant ship, Emma. You can't expect smooth sailing. Especially with a skeptic onboard."

And just like that, Emma was back.

"Are you saying that was my fault?" She sounded so outraged he had to fight the urge to laugh in her face.

"Relax, love. Trip's always a rocky one for the _Roger_. You just made it a little extra rocky." He answered with a shrug. "Though, you shouldn't be focusing on that. You ought to be taking in the view you haven't gotten a look at since you were a girl."

She looked ready to protest, but had shot a quickly glance around and was already doing a double take.

Her eyes widening, Emma turned away from him and looked around, seeing but not quite believing, he was sure. That was always the case with Emma.

"Welcome to Neverland, Emma. Or should I say, '_Welcome back._'"

**[tbc.]**


	4. remember when

**entitled;** starlight  
**summary; **_Many have told the story of the fabled Peter Pan and his adventures in Never Never Land; that wondrous, magical place where children could traipse and trek without a single worry in the world. Without fears - a world so carefree and wonderful no one would ever think to leave it. Except one._**  
****rating; **t (may change in later chapters)  
**disclaimer; **i don't own any of the characters from once upon a time, or the book/movie peter pan.  
**word count;** chapter - 2,802 / total - 10,129  
**notes;** getting this chapter up has been a royal pain. it did not at all turn out the way i wanted it to, but i wanted to get a chapter up for you guys while i had the chance. unbeta'd so any and all mistakes are mine, feel free to point them out.

* * *

**vi. remember when**

**.**

Even as Emma found herself standing at the center of it all, she couldn't quite believe it. It was simply surreal.

"Lovely, isn't it?"

Emma really didn't even have it in her to be annoyed with the pirate; she simply nodded and breathed, "It's beautiful."

He didn't respond right away, and while his silence was the slightest bit unsettling, Emma was a little too wrapped up trying to take it all in. All bright, vibrant colors, a wonderful aroma hanging in the air, the familiarity of it all.

Emma was hit with the strongest sense of déjà vu.

She knew, now, that she had been here when she was younger. She knew it was real. But the uncertainty was still there. While her memories seemed to be worming their way out of the whole they were hiding in, they were still kind of fuzzy and the idea of Neverland being real, of her actually standing there- well, it seemed every bit impossible.

"How can I know this isn't just some dream?" She mumbled, feeling her stomach clench uncomfortably at the possibility.

"This is no dream, I can assure you."

There was a bitterness in his voice that physically pained her and she found herself jerking her head in his direction; he was looking down at her with his brilliantly blue eyes darkening and that initial fear she'd experienced began worming its way back into her heart.

"Peter-"

"Telling you not to call me that time and again is getting quite old, love." He muttered darkly, turning and walking away from her.

"Damn it, wait!" Emma called out, following after him and latching onto his arm, not expecting the way he jerked out of her hold and brought his hook to the base of her neck.

"Do not assume that those memories of yours returning will earn you a single ounce of kindness, darling." He gritted out, blue eyes narrowing. "You are still every bit a prisoner, and any familiarity between us should be considered non-existent."

That hurt.

Probably more than it should have considering it had been so many years ago, but it did hurt.

"You can't just kidnap me from my apartment, make me remember a childhood I was perfectly fine keeping locked away and expect me to act like this obedient little prisoner. I deserve an explanation. And one from _Peter_. Not from Captain Hook." Emma responded with a glare of her own.

"Peter Pan is dead." He spat, pressing the curve of his hook into her skin. "Peter Pan was a boy who should have never existed. You'd do well to remember that."

She was having trouble with it, accepting it, but Emma understood that if she insisted on it, he wouldn't explain a single thing. "_Hook_… What happened after I left Neverland?"

**.**

_Hook_.

Oh, how that word wounded him coming from her lips.

Which was ridiculous, considering he was the one who refused to allow her to call him _Peter_.

So he went on as if it didn't bother him in the slightest, crystalline eyes narrowed into slits as he stepped back, contemplating whether or not to fill her in on what exactly had happened after she left Neverland. As expected, she turned and followed him along the ship, waiting for his response but he wasn't entirely convinced he could give her one; he was supposed to be hard, be cold - be _Hook_. But having her around brought out the middle ground. His middle ground; not quite Peter, not quite Hook, but Killian.

Once they reached the center of the main deck, he paused, turning to face her and tilting his head to the side. "Things fell apart when you left…. Things _changed_." He had to work to keep his expression carefully composed as he spoke.

Emma looked as if she wanted to interject, but she held her tongue as he continued as if he hadn't noticed.

"Neverland, as delightful a place as it could be in the eyes of a child, quickly turned into the dark place it is now. Hook, though thought to be dead after you left, had not really been killed and he attacked when you left, capturing the Lost Boys and making a bloody fool out of me." He hissed out between gritted teeth. "And you weren't _there_."

"But I-"

"They tried - the boys - oh, how they tried to call for you, thinking that you'd hear them. That you'd come back." He looked her in the eyes then, his bright blue eyes dark and cold. "And I couldn't bring myself to tell them that you wouldn't be coming back."

He had begun circling her once more after that, dark eyes trained on her, watching her for every reaction, every emotion flickering across her features.

"It was in that moment that I had to make a decision. A very _grown up_ decision." He paused eyeing her carefully. "I suppose in the end, you were right, Emma." He quipped, slowly circling her trembling form, "Everyone has to grow up."

"Peter, I-"

"**Hook**." He hissed, stopping right in front of her and raising his hooked hand so it was terrifyingly close to her face. "How many times do I have to repeat to you that Peter died long ago?"

She stood tall then, her green eyes hard as she trained them on him, "If Peter were truly dead in there, I would be, too."

He faltered then for a brief moment, lowering his hooked hand for a small second before he wrapped his fingers around her arm and yanked her towards him. "Don't tempt me, Swan. My patience with you is thinning quite rapidly."

"Then, I'll repeat to you what I've been telling you the minute I woke up," She spat, tense in his hold, "_Let me go_."

He was sure she was expecting him to snap at her, to grow all the more irritated with her. But he didn't. Not really. He was amused that she seemed to think that things would be so damn simple. "Not likely. Smee!"

Almost immediately the short man scampered toward them, seeming to hesitate before breathing out his usual, "Y-yes, Cap'n?"

"Take our lovely guest back to my cabin. Have her situated and comfortable. She'll be with us for quite a while, it seems." He answered, not tearing his gaze from hers once the entire time.

"I hate you."

The words were soft spoken and almost sad, and he knew that she didn't really mean them, but they hurt so much more than they would have if she had meant them. Things would be better for both of them if she truly did hate him.

**.**

"You should be grateful." Came Smee's voice as she let herself fall back onto the bed she'd previously woken up on. A bed she was only now realizing was _his_ bed. "Cap'n rarely lets anyone step foot in his cabin."

Emma snorted, but refused to respond; oh yeah, she was going to be so _incredibly _grateful that the man who kidnapped her was letting her sleep in his room.

Whatever.

"You shouldn't be too hard on him, you know." he spoke up again, startling Emma a bit, considering she'd expected him to leave her alone almost immediately. "He only became who he is now because of you."

That had her shooting up into a sitting position. "How is this my fault?"

Smee stumbled in his attempt to take a few steps back, seeming suddenly nervous. "I-I shouldn't have said that I'm going to go now."

"No way!" Emma nearly shrieked, reaching out and grabbing onto the sleeve of his coat. "Tell me what you meant. Now."

"Y-you're forgetting that you're the prisoner in the room, Miss Swan. I-I don't have to tell you anything." he stammered, trying to worm his way out of her grip, but she simply held on tighter.

"That may be, but don't doubt I can totally hand your ass to you on a platter if I truly wanted to, Smee." Emma spat, narrowing her eyes at the portly man.

He waited some more, and Emma was just about to snap at him again when he sighed. "The death of Hook - the other Hook, of course - didn't happen as you thought it had while you were here. He managed to escape that crocodile you and Peter sent after him."

He paused, as if waiting to make sure that she remembered and she nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Upon realizing you'd left Neverland, Hook started thinking up ways to hurt Pan. Make him pay for making a fool out of him." Smee continued, "Now, we all thought he'd simply rid Neverland of it's child. Kill Pan; it was the most simple and obvious solution. But Hook, Hook didn't want that. He wanted Pan to pay. He wanted to make Pan suffer."

Emma's stomach clenched uncomfortably at thoughts of what could have possibly happened next flitted across her mind.

"So, one by one, he took the Lost Boys - Pan's only family - and he tortured them." He stopped, wringing his hands together and looking as if he was contemplating whether to go into full detail about it or not, and Emma was grateful when he chose not to. "It was all very brutal and worked well to lure Pan back to the Roger. And we all knew, the minute he stepped foot on the ship, that this battle was going to be different. Pan was…broken, somehow. Only now do we know it was because of your departure. But that battle was the last one Killian fought as Pan. By the end of it, he was no longer a boy, but a man with blood on his hands. And the boys - the Lost Boys-"

"That's enough Mr. Smee."

The two of them jumped; Smee backed away and Emma nearly fell off of the bed.

"Y-yes, Cap'n!" he spat out before running out of the cabin without so much as a glance back.

Emma refused to look up at him, her gaze trained on the sheets of the bed she was sitting on, fingers curling and uncurling, almost as if she was trying to grasp at something to ground herself.

**.**

"Reality is a bit more gruesome than your cute little book, isn't it, Emma?" He murmured, taking slow strides towards the bed where she sat with that raggedy old book still held tightly in one of her hands.

"I…" She hesitated, fingers clenching around the sheets of his bed and the book in her hand. "I still don't understand how you came to this. How you became this."

"You left." He answered simply, ignoring all the complex emotions coursing through him as he came to a stand still beside her, "I let my emotions on the matter cloud my judgment. Let them darken my heart and I became… Split in two. If we're being literal."

Emma's head jerked up and he wasn't the slightest bit surprised to find confusion swimming in those jade eyes of hers. "Literal?"

He nodded. "Me, as I am now. And the empty shell, the shadow of a boy named Peter Pan."

"What?" She blinked, brows furrowing. "There are two of you?"

Hook gave her a wry grin and shook his head. "No, there is simply a boy and his shadow."

He was thrown back to the time they first met; the time when he was but a boy trying to get his shadow back from the home of a lost, lonely girl. He'd been so fascinated with her then, so easily enamored with her.

"So, Smee was right." Emma murmured, pulling Hook from his dive into past memories. "Ultimately, this - you changing - was a result of my leaving. Of me not being there for you."

It was interesting, that despite blaming her all these years, hearing her say it aloud and accept it, made him want to do nothing but tell her it wasn't so.

She couldn't have known that James Hook would have escaped the claws of that beast. She couldn't have possibly known that he felt so strongly for her when he hadn't made it known to her when he had the chance. And there was no possible way she could have known that James Hook would have used the Lost Boys against Peter in the most horrific and utterly cruel sort of vengeance he had ever seen.

"Save the pity for when your memories have fully returned." He responded, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword as he angled himself towards the door leading out of his cabin. "Come, we've dropped anchor near Skull Rock. There's something I need to see."

He turned then, not waiting to see if she would follow or not; chances were she would follow. If there's was one thing he remembered about Emma, it was that she wasn't one to be kept locked up; she'd find her way out, so chanced were it was better to take her along than to leave her behind.

"Keep an eye on the ship, Smee, I don't want to come back to find the sirens pulled it under." He called out, satisfied when he heard Emma's careful steps catch up with him just as he made his way down the gangplank.

Smee's response was lost on him as they walked farther and farther from the ship, the sound of waves crashing against the shore surrounding them completely.

"Where are we going?" Emma called out, loud enough so he could hear her through the noise.

"Into the rock." He answered, "Steer clear of the water, though; I doubt the sirens would wander so far from the lagoon, but there are always the curious ones and the last thing I need is to have one catch sight of you."

"What? Why would they have a problem with me?" Emma asked.

He turned to face her then, a dark brow quirking upwards as he spoke, "They were never fond of you as a child, I can only imagine their dislike for you would grow ten times worse now that you're an older, far more attractive woman."

His words elicited the reaction he'd expected almost immediately; as if on cue, her cheeks flushed a deep red and she folded her arms over her chest. "Stop being stupid."

A smirk made its way onto his lips and he simply shrugged, "I'm simply answering your question. The sirens can be particular nasty when it comes to a lovely woman."

She grumbled something that sounded a lot like "_Idiot,_" under her breath and a soft chuckle left his lips.

'_Still the same,_' he thought to himself as he stepped through the opening of Skull Rock, watching her as she stepped in beside him; beneath the guarded expression and the walls she was working to keep up, she was still the girl he remembered.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze, "Weren't you looking for something?"

"Right." He answered quickly, turning away from her but unable to keep the small grin that slipped onto his lips. "This way."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, with the few exceptions of him warning her to watch her step. It was the highest cliff inside the rock that Hook came to a halt, glancing around for any sign of what it was he was looking for; he'd brought Emma along in hopes that it would somehow react to the map.

Because that was why Emma was still around. The only reason he wasn't sending her back to her home and out of his life. She wasn't his friend, wasn't the reason he was Hook.

She was the key to his revenge, and that was that.

Almost immediately after he finished that thought, that smallest of flickers caught his eye; from under a large rock, a small blue light shone brilliantly as Emma neared it.

"What the hell?" She breathed out, bending down to pick it up, only to drop it the minute the pendant hanging around her neck began to glow brightly.

'_There it is,_' Hook thought walking towards her, picking up the small blue rock, and holding it to the pendant. Sure enough, the flat, coin-like pendant shone that much brighter, nearly blinding them both.

"What the hell is that? Stop it!" She hissed, smacking his hand away before reaching up to grab onto the pendant.

"It's what I've been looking for." He murmured, prying her hand from the pendant and examining it closely. Turning it around, he caught sight of the thin lines that came together to make the small piece of what was a larger map. "My map."

Yes, she was the key. The key and nothing more.

**[tbc.]**


End file.
